(Not) Quite Traditional
by TippierCoffee
Summary: Nico and Frank play Mythomagic together, and somehow their conversation becomes about proposing. Solangelo Week 2018 - 7/7:Engagement/Marriage.


**A/N: I had an idea for the swap prompt, but I just couldn't make it flow, so I scrapped it and decided to skip the day (day 6/7). Maybe I'll write the swap fic some day. We'll see.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner, Mr. Rick Riordan.**

* * *

It wasn't looking good for Nico. He had few cards on the table, and just as few on his hand. It wasn't looking much better for Frank.

Frank had just played his turn, emulating Nico's prior attack. The result: All their Nature Spirits had died off, and they'd lost their Pan Abilities. At least Nico had only had one of those, while Frank had had two. Still, Wrath of Pan was such a good card to draw, he could pretty much destroy Frank with it by getting rid of Frank's Nature Spirits first. He should have thought of the possibility that Frank might have had a Vengeance Ability.

Bye bye, Nature Spirits and Wrath of Pan. To make matters worse, Nico was still waiting to draw another Hunter so the one on the field could go face-up, out of her hiding, and start attacking already. It was only by luck Frank hadn't played a Monster able to sniff out Hunters in hiding; she was, after all, alone on the field. At least his Demigod Trio and their Satyr Guide were still on the field, so he hadn't lost Tribute cards. Still, two children of Ares and one of Aphrodite could only do so much without a Deity, and the only Deity on Nico's hand was Aphrodite, who was high defence, low attack, and very much not helpful in his current situation.

If only he had Ares as well. He put both of them in his deck.

 _Ugh. This is stressful_.

"I guess, I end my turn then," Frank said, as if he hadn't just royally screwed Nico over.

Nico sighed, ready to die on Frank's next turn. "Right." He drew a card. It was Ares.

Nico stared at the card for a moment, feeling oddly joyous, but maybe also a bit scared that the real Ares had heard him praying in his head, and somehow made sure the Ares card was next. Nico really didn't want to owe anything to the real Ares.

Nico shuffled the cards in his hand, looking at the field to make sure there was nothing there that could counter him. Ares and Aphrodite together got a trample attack, which could kill Frank at once with the few cards he had on the field. Unless Frank happened to have another counter Ability on his hand. Still, Nico was getting desperate, and these cards could potentially save him. If he didn't at least try, he would hate himself.

"I will start by paying Tribute, four to draw out Ares. Since I have three Demigods on the field, only one Tribute goes back into my deck." He shuffled the Tribute back into his deck. "Now, I will shuffle the remaining three Tribute cards into my deck to draw out Aphrodite. Since I have two children of Ares on the field, their attack and defence before Parent Boost gets added to Ares, then he gives each of them an extra 150 attack points, while the child of Aphrodite adds 50 attack and defence to him, and gets an extra 50 attack in return from him. Likewise, Aphrodite has her child's attack and defence point added onto her own, and the child of Aphrodite is granted 150 attack points from her, while the children of Ares grant her 50 extra attack and defence, and get 50 extra attack in return from her, each. I will then do a sync attack with Ares and Aphrodite, which gives them trample, and I will attack with one child of Ares and the child of Aphrodite to add to the trample attack. My Satyr Guide and second child of Ares will remain in block position, while my Cyclops will attack independently, trying to get your Demigod duo."

Frank scowled. "Ye gods, Nico. That's ruthless. Poor guys don't even have a Satyr Guide to help block."

"Their attack and defence aren't high enough to fight off my Cyclops either."

"No kidding." Frank ran a hand through his hair. He looked at the cards in his hand, no doubt seeing if he had anything that could save his Demigods. "I got nothing," he said, putting his Demigods, and two of his three Tribute cards, into his Grave.

"What about the rest of my attack?" Nico asked. "Got anything to save you?"

Frank looked at his hand. "Not on my hand, no. I have a Revive Ability in my deck, not that _that_ helps." He looked thoughtfully at his hand, then threw his cards down in defeat. "You got me."

Nico looked at Frank's cards, feeling lucky. Frank had a Minotaur on his hand he could have sacrificed a Demigod for next round and killed Nico with, if he combined it with the Monster Boost Ability.

"Lucky draw," Nico shrugged. "Do you want to play again?"

Frank looked at the clock in the small flat. "Hazel will be back soon."

"So? She loves when we do these things together. Her brother and her boyfriend getting along."

"Yeah, about that." Frank folded his hands and looked at Nico. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What is it?"

"Well..." Frank scratched his head. "We're all in our twenties now."

"Yes, I'm aware," Nico dead-panned with a smirk on his face.

Frank blushed and chuckled, then he cleared his throat. "Anyway. What I wanted to talk about was Hazel."

"Yes? What about Hazel?"

"Well, I love her-"

"I'm aware."

"Please, Nico."

Nico let out a hearty laugh. "Okay, okay, I'll listen."

"Anyway," Frank started fidgeting with his Mythomagic cards. "I was thinking, it's probably due time I asked her... you know, since we have it good here, me being Praetor, her restoring paintings, all that." He paused, his blush growing. "But you know, we're both quite traditional, but I can't ask Pluto because of their situation, so I figured I could ask you since you're her older brother."

"By one whole year," Nico said sarcastically, unable to help himself. Frank gave him a look. "Sorry, sorry," he laughed, "please continue."

"Anyway," Frank said, taking a deep breath. "I was thinking, we should, you know, tie the knot, and what not." He looked nervously at Nico, but Nico could follow the logic, so he just gave an encouraging smile. "But, it's just... I guess I'd like to ask for your blessing before asking her. You know, because it's traditional and it would mean a lot to me, and probably also her, if you gave me your blessing to ask for your sister's hand in marriage."

Nico considered him. A blushing 192 centimetre mess. He wasn't really sure how someone as freakishly tall as Frank managed to look small, but he managed it somehow.

"Sure," Nico said at last. "Like you said, it's about time. I'm glad you waited till your mid-twenties, though. If you'd asked me just as she'd turned twenty, I might have said no. But she's twenty-four now, and you're twenty-six. It seems an appropriate time."

"So, you'll give me your blessing?"

"I'll sign a paper, if it makes you feel more certain."

Frank practically leapt to his feet to give Nico a hug. And Nico might have grown over the years, matching his boyfriend's 178 centimetres, but he still felt like he drowned in Frank's arms. Maybe because Frank was built so bulky.

"Thank you, Nico."

"Yeah, yeah," Nico coughed, patting Frank hard on the back until he let go with a sheepish expression.

The door opened as Nico brushed his hands over his clothes to smooth out the wrinkles. Hazel was home, her clothes splattered with paint, her hair tied into a high messy bun. She looked at the two of them, the table with the forgotten Mythomagic cards, and gave them a smile.

"Who won?"

"Nico," Frank said. "He destroyed me in the nick of time."

"Lucky hand," Nico said. He looked at the clock, then at Hazel. "Sorry to leave so soon. Will's shift should be over by now, I'm sure he must be tired, so I'll go pamper him."

Hazel laughed and fanned herself. "Scandalous," she teased.

Nico felt his face heat up. "Please don't say such suggestive things to me. No matter how old you grow, you are still my little sister."

"By one whole year," she teased. This made Frank laugh out loud, and she gave them both a curious look.

"Frank can explain that," Nico said. "He has something he wants to tell you anyway."

Frank's face turned completely red and Nico laughed as he sauntered out of their little flat and walked across New Rome to get to the small house he and Will had claimed. It was a lovely day, to be honest. Children ran through the streets, playing games with each other, and Nico couldn't help but smile at them, thinking he might soon be an uncle. Time was strange like that. After having been stuck in it, feeling how it moved sometimes still made him do a double take at himself and everyone around him.

His and Will's house was what most would call quaint. He'd joined forces with Annabeth to create a design that combined the Venetian style of his childhood home with the Texan style of Will's. It probably shouldn't go together as well as it did, but with Annabeth as the architect, Nico should probably not have been that surprised.

Inside, most surfaces were covered with little trinkets from Camp Half Blood and its campers; gifts they'd gotten over the years, or war spoils they hadn't quite known what to do with. There were pictures of their siblings, friends, and family. Will's pictures were all photographs, while many of Nico's pictures were paintings commissioned from Hazel. The first painting he'd commissioned from her was for his sixteenth birthday. It had Hades/Pluto in the background, splitting in the middle so his right side looked like Hades and his left side looked like Pluto. Marie Levesque and Maria di Angelo stood on either side of him, corresponding to the god who sired their children. In front of them, sitting on chairs, was Nico in the middle, Bianca on his right side, and Hazel on his left side. They were painted to look rather young, Hazel fourteen, Nico fifteen, and Bianca seventeen. Hades/Pluto had his hands on Nico's shoulders, while the mothers had their hands on their daughters' shoulders. They smiled as much as they realistically would have if this had been a photograph. It was Nico's favourite picture.

Will was lounging on the sofa, slurping an ice lolly, his shirt off, their fan on. He wore loose-sitting shorts.

"Hello," Nico called.

Will stirred and sat to look at him with a smile.

"Hey, Darlin'. Enjoyed your day off?"

Nico shrugged. "It was all right."

"You must have been bored out of your mind," Will chuckled. "The house is squeaky clean."

Nico rolled his eyes and stole Will's ice lolly. "Frank invited me over to play Mythomagic with him."

Will snatched his ice lolly back and scooted over for Nico to sit next to him. "And?"

"I slayed him."

"'Atta a boy," Will teased, ruffling Nico's hair.

Will put the ice lolly between them, maintaining eye contact as he licked it. Nico followed his example because it made him excited, and their tongues may or may not have brushed, not that anyone could prove anything. They finished the lolly together like that and made out for a solid two minutes before Nico broke away.

"Frank asked for my blessing to propose to my sister."

"Oh?" Will started playing with his hair.

"Yeh." Nico listened to his heartbeat. "He made it sound like he would have asked our father if he could."

"How brave." Nico could hear the smile in Will's voice. That was the amazing thing about it; it expressed his emotions so well.

"I would have loved to see him fumble through Father's many questions."

Will chuckled. "You're so bad."

Nico looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "Look who's talking, Caro bello."

"You make me bad."

"Oh yeah?" Nico positioned them so he was on top of Will. "I'm quite sure you poisoned me with your millennium ideas." They kissed. "Not that I'm complaining or anything."

"I'd chew you out if you did." Will nipped at his ear.

"Can't be bothered today," Nico mumbled, kissing Will's collarbone.

Will stroked his back, then his hair. They lay in silence, listening to the fan and the children on the streets.

"Would you want me to do that?" Nico asked before thinking.

"Do what?" Will kept stroking his hair, breathing against his scalp.

"Have me ask your mother for permission if I were to propose to you?"

Will shrugged. "It's kind of a nice incentive. Old-fashioned and cute, just like you."

Will started peppering Nico with kisses and Nico half-heartedly pushed him off while making gagging noises.

"I might ask your father," Will said as an after thought, "if I were to propose to you."

Nico snorted. "Good luck getting in."

"I'll just ask Percy which stone I need to sing to in Central Park."

"You'd get lost down there and die of starvation."

"I'll make the ghosts help me out."

"Oh yeah?" Nico laughed. "How?"

"I'll just tell them I'm on good terms with the Ghost King."

"Pft! I knew you were using me."

"Says the one who convinced me to give him a doctor's note to eat lunch with me."

"How dare you?" Nico fake-gasped. "I was getting depressed because I had to sit alone!"

"Mhm." Will flicked him on the cheek. "And I was thoughtful enough to help you out, but do I get a thanks?"

"Yes. Yes you did."

"I deserved a medal, though, let's be honest."

"You deserve jack-shit, Solace."

Will clutched his heart. "You wound me. And here I thought you loved me."

"You thought wrong," Nico dead-panned. "I'm in it for the perks."

"Perks?" Will teased, quirking his eyebrows.

"The Gatorade, obviously. Stop having such a dirty mind."

"Pft! All I did was wink at you. Obviously your mind is dirtier than mine. The thirties would be disappointed."

"Good thing I'm not in the thirties anymore, then."

They looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

"You're so darn old," Will wheezed, kissing the top of Nico's head.

"I'm also rich."

This made Will laugh even harder. "Oh my gods. You're basically a sugar daddy and I'm the innocent youngster looking for wealth."

"You're definitely not innocent," Nico said, flicking Will lightly on the nose. "And if I'm the sugar daddy, then where's my sugar?"

Will smirked. "You don't think you get enough sugar?"

Nico moved up to kiss him. "Definitely not."

"We should fix that," Will murmured, wrestling tongues with Nico.

"We really should."

"Don't tell my mum when you ask to marry me. She'd be devastated."

"I'll keep that in mind if I decide to ask her."

They got lost after that, skin against skin, and when they were done, cuddling and basking in the afterglow, Nico thought at the back of his mind that he and Will should definitely not get engaged until after Hazel and Frank's wedding.

* * *

 **This was actually the first fic I wrote for the Solangelo Week 2018.**

 **Also, I made a framework for Mythomagic on my hardly-used Tumblr some time ago, so I tweaked it to sound more realistic compared to the canon stats. My framework-stats are inspired by Magic the Gathering, so I don't know how well these stats worked out, but let's just pretend they're awesome.**


End file.
